1. Field of Invention
The invention is directed to slip members for securing downhole tools such as bridge plugs and packers within a wellbore and, in particular, to slip members comprising one or more hard material elements disposed through a body material that is softer and, thus, easier to mill as compared to the hard material element(s).
2. Description of Art
During drilling and production of oil and gas wells, it is sometimes desirable to isolate zones within the wellbore such as by disposing downhole tools within the wellbore to seal-off a portion of the wellbore. Thus, downhole tools such as bridge plugs, packers, and the like are disposed within the wellbore. To secure the downhole tools within the wellbore, the downhole tool can comprise one or more slip members. The slip members include a gripping surface that is forced into the inner wall of the wellbore. For example, the slip members may include wickers or other gripping members that are forced into the inner wall of a casing by sliding the slip member along a cone or ramped surface. After setting of the downhole tool, additional downhole operations can be performed.